It's been a busy few weeks around the studio. There has been little time for actual painting, but I have been thinking in color-which is a great thing! It's always a good thing, when instead of that little conversation that goes on in my mind, I just see colors and shapes, once in a while my thoughts grab onto one of these color palettes and it is the start of a painting.

But-back to events! I have had some really exciting events over the past couple weeks. They seem to be all happening in rapid succession lately. I was asked to be a Quick Draw (finish) Artist for the Emerson Arts and Cultural Center for their Gala Fundraiser Event on Jan 27. That was a push for me to see if I could pull off finishing a painting and having it ready for auction in 1.5 hrs. My painting was underway when I started the demo finish-I wasn't sure I could paint an entire painting in that short a time. It was challenging, as my usual finishing of a painting entails getting it close to done and then letting it set and looking with fresh eyes and mind in a few days to bring a piece to completion. I also learned a bit, and figured out a way to be able to frame on the fly so to speak. It was really fun to talk to people who were so curious and interested in the process of encaustic painting during the demo.

Here are some pictures from my quick finish, the finished work is 10x10, "Dusk", and went to a new collector as part of the Live Auction.

Last fall I was on a little trip to Portland, OR with a friend. We try to meet up there and eat our way through all the amazing food that city now has to offer. We also check out local art, boutique shops and  the  bustling neighborhoods. This trip my friend wanted to make sure we got to the Portland Art Museum to see the Andy Warhol exhibit. I was game, but really all I knew of Warhol was the Soup Cans and other associated pop art. I am always up for seeing new art and learning about the Artist and the era of their art making in context. 

My not having a liberal art background and not having art taught in the schools I attended is a deficit in my knowledge base-sadly. So  I try to educate myself in the Arts whenever possible-whether I think I will "like" it or not, it is good to learn. I was delighted and suprised by this exhibit! Seeing Warhols early works in illustration, the simple whimsical colors and shapes and then to see the iconic posters of celebreties and political figures of the ear. His sense of design and color choices in those works was mesmerizing. 

It was very interesting to see the impact of the Kennedy assassination and the art he made about this tragic event. I learned he was a lot more than pop art Campbell's Soup Cans!

Before we left the museum on the way to check out the gift show-which is alway neccessary in an art museum, oh the books.....I caught a glimsp of some amazing colors in a work. (The person selling us our tickets had not told us about any other concurrent exhibits, and we did not think to ask). However there was a display also of Sister Corita Kent. Who knew there was a Nun who combined her passion for social justice with pop art and studied with Andy Warhol? The exhibition of her work was astounding for many reasons, including her colors, imagery, design and message. I am dedicated to learning more about her and her art and her social justice works. 

Who remembers where "Expose yourself to Art" is from?  I'll answer in my next blog post!

I'm starting the New Year with a goal of reviving my poor neglected blog. On the side in ugly blue type are links to my old blog on blogger. I'm higher on persistence than skill and this was how I figured out to link it up. Things might change if I get some tech assistance-but for now this is it!